Another week, another high-scoring contest for Fordham Football. 

Following a heartbreaking 59-52 loss to Ohio University last weekend, Fordham rebounded Saturday with a 59-38 home win over Georgetown University during Family Weekend. This win opened the Patriot League conference schedule on a positive note for the Rams, who improved to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

While senior quarterback Tim DeMorat turned in another fine performance, it was Fordham’s rushing attack that made waves against the Hoyas. Graduate student Trey Sneed and sophomore Julius Loughridge each had over 100 yards rushing as the Rams totaled 277 yards on the ground, their highest mark this season.

Whether it’s on the ground or through the air, Fordham’s offense has produced at an elite level in 2022. In their five contests so far this season, the Rams have scored 259 total points. That’s an average of 51.8 points per game, which is the highest mark in the entire Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). 

On Saturday, as they have so often this season, Fordham got off to a slow start in the first quarter. The Hoyas opened the game with a 77-yard touchdown drive to put the Rams down seven early. Fordham immediately responded with a scoring drive of their own thanks to a 23-yard touchdown from DeMorat to Sneed. But the Rams defense struggled to contain Georgetown’s passing attack, and Georgetown took the lead right back courtesy of a Pierce Holley touchdown to Herman Moultrie III. A turnover off a botched snap gave the Hoyas the ball right back, who cashed in again to make it 21-7 Georgetown after a quarter of play.

Fordham’s passing defense has been a problem all season long. They allowed 395 yards through the air against a Georgetown team that has struggled offensively for most of this season. Despite the rough first quarter, the Rams defensive unit improved as the game continued.

On the play of his defense, Fordham head coach Joe Conlin said after the game, “It was very concerning. We’ve got to do a better job out of the gate … We have to do a better job defending the pass. They were 7/13 on third down. We can’t allow that if we want to be successful … We have to do a better job getting teams off the field on third down and getting the ball back to our offense.”

If the Rams were asleep at the wheel in the first quarter, they certainly woke up for the second. Fordham outscored Georgetown 28-0 in the second quarter, going into halftime with a 35-21 lead. DeMorat threw three touchdowns in the second quarter to three different seniors: one to tight end Jeff Ciccio and one each to wide receivers Fotis Kokosioulis and Dequece Carter. Loughridge also added a 12-yard touchdown run and the defense contributed a big interception from freshman Marc Pretto to seal the dominant quarter for the Rams.

Things settled down a bit in the second half from the frantic pace of the end of the first. The teams traded field goals at the start of the third quarter, with junior Brandon Peskin connecting on a 29-yarder for the Rams. Late in the quarter, Sneed went to work, scoring a five-yard touchdown to cap off a drive that began with his own 34-yard run. 

That Sneed score allowed Fordham to enter the fourth quarter with a comfortable 45-24 lead. Georgetown got closer with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Pierce to Joshua Tomas, but Fordham put the game away thanks to an impressive 27-yard rushing score from DeMorat and a 1-yard tally from Sneed. Georgetown got a touchdown back late, but it wasn’t enough as Fordham walked away from Jack Coffey Field with a 59-38 victory over the Hoyas.

While the Fordham defense continues to allow points at a high rate (44.4 points per game), the offense continues to deliver week in and week out. DeMorat threw for 348 yards and five total touchdowns, while senior MJ Wright led Fordham receivers with 120 yards on seven catches. DeMorat, who was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for his performance, continues to lead the FCS in passing yards and passing touchdowns. On the receiving end of things, senior Fotis Kokosioulis leads the FCS in receiving yards, thanks in large part to his 318-yard game against Ohio last week.

Reflecting on his own play Saturday, DeMorat said, “I thought I did fine. I thought I did OK, honestly. I missed a couple throws, one to Fotis [Kokosioulis]. I just think this offense makes my life a little easy. I get a lot of credit but I think the coaches deserve a lot more for the game plan all week. Obviously when you run for that many yards it makes my life easy and having great receivers to give the ball out to.”

With Fordham off to a winning start in Patriot League play, the Rams will look to keep things rolling this Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa. against Lehigh University. Lehigh is off to a rough 1-4 start this year, with their only win coming against Georgetown in week two.

That game is set for a 12 p.m. kickoff and can be streamed live on ESPN+ or listened to on WFUV 90.7.

Despite this, Conlin insists that this week’s game will not be an easy one. “Going out there, playing on grass … It’s gonna be a challenge. Obviously we’re hoping to continue the run we’re on offensively, but defensively we have to do a better job against the pass. We can’t give up 395 yards passing and expect to have sustained success.”